


For now, that's enough

by SunnySunSins



Series: A new life of the last 2 warriors [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dealing With Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Rumbling (Shingeki no Kyojin), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Teen Crush, healing together, kind of???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29216433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnySunSins/pseuds/SunnySunSins
Summary: 2 years have passed since the battle that changed everything. It doesn't mean their life is fine and dandy now though. The memories are always there, haunting, waiting to show their ugly heads again the moment you think they're gone.The knocking on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the clock. Right on time.
Relationships: Gabi Braun/Falco Grice
Series: A new life of the last 2 warriors [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145096
Comments: 13
Kudos: 73





	1. A bird's eye view

**Author's Note:**

> MY BABIES-
> 
> Ahem, sorry. I love those two so much. 
> 
> Funny story... I was so starved for new content with those two that i started to have dreams about them. FOR WEEKS.  
> It actually drove me insane, so i had to get that scenario out on paper (or screen) and this is what it created. 
> 
> Note, that this contains my personal take on how the story is gonna end (who lives, who dies, ~~who tells your story~~ ) and some headcanons about life after The Rumbling. Also, Gabi and Falco are 14 in this one.

Here he was again. 

Lying awake, waiting for his brain to finally get tired of the deafening silence and turn off. But it had better plans. Like thinking about how he could still feel the tingling in his arms, even though he landed hours ago. Or how weirdly _normal_ it felt now - to think of his arms as wings, to fly around as if he always could. 

Falco glanced at the clock ticking on the wall. Just 2 minutes have passed. 

_Just._

He mentally scoffed. 2 minutes less of his already shortened life. Living on a time limit really puts quiet moments like this into perspective.  
He could picture Colt rolling his eyes at him, saying he's too young to have an existential crisis. Falco bites back - _well, it's not like I have 11 years to live or something._ Colt raises an eyebrow - _you still don't know that for sure._ And he has to agree. 

2 years have passed since the battle that changed everything. 2 years since they defeated Eren Yeager. They defeated the Source of the Titan Power too. And if Armin's theory was right, that meant the Curse of Ymir was lifted too.

But they didn't know that for sure yet. Every morning meeting started with a tense atmosphere - waiting until **everyone** showed up. Every day for the past few months they mentally prepared themselves for the news that Reiner, Annie or Pieck has passed away the night prior. Not like they remembered exactly _when_ they got their titans, and any documents on the matter were just like Marley itself - destroyed and burned to ash.

2 years since they lost their home, family and, in some ways, life.  
It still hurt. It never stopped hurting. But it got easier to ignore the pain and live on, because that's what **they** would've wanted for them.

2 orphans - the last warriors. All that was left of Marley. 

The few survivors left after the last conflict between marleans and eldians have died in the past year, not being able to handle the drastic change in their life, having to live on the "island of devils", refusing to cooperate, as if they had a choice. 

Even Gabi was more reasonable.

The knocking on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the clock. _Right on time._

Falco got up, knowing full well who it was. It was a habit at this point.  
He opened the door and, as expected, the person on the other side crashed into him. 

He caught Gabi in his arms and closed the door in a practiced motion. She was always going to him when she had nightmares. 

At first she tried to deal with them on her own, back when they were still hiding at the Braus' farm, too prideful, too emotionally repressed to admit the dark circles under her eyes were from seeing Zofia's crushed body under the rubble every time she tried to sleep. After Shiganshina though... if this was her response, Falco was honestly kind of glad he didn't remember most of it. 

Gabi shifted closer, desperate for comfort, her arms crushing his torso, holding onto his shirt like a lifeline. He hugged her back, gentle yet firm enough to reassure that she's safe.  
She relaxed a bit, a shaken sigh escaping from her mouth, her breath fanning his neck- 

Falco had to pull himself out of the.. _less than pure_ thoughts, wondering if she could feel his heart trying to escape his chest. _Did she have any idea what she was doing to him?_ He felt guilty even for thinking such things at a moment like this.

They never discussed what exactly were they. His confession was tied to too many painful memories and everything after that was a blur - one big adrenalin rush battling with a race against time - not something to be used as a reference point. 

All he could assume - they were just a couple of really close friends that sometimes, when emotions hit like a wave, kissed and (literally) slept together more nights than not. 

His 11-year old self wouldn't have believed him. But then again, his 11-year old self couldn't ever imagine that in a year he would be flying through the air as a winged titan with the "devils of Paradis" on his back.

He feels wetness on his shoulder and his heart goes from beating like crazy to tearing into pieces. Gabi only cries from 2 very specific memories - Udo and Zofia dying in front of her or.... his own "death". 

The fact that his temporary titan transformation was traumatic enough to give her nightmares made Falco hate himself more than he'll ever admit. Was he conscious during it or not - he still is one of the reasons the girl he loves with all his heart is now at such a broken state. 

He hugs her closer, one hand drawing circles on her back as if to say _you're not alone_. She melts into him, her legs almost giving up, face still hidden in his shoulder. Carefully and slowly he starts to move, leading her to sit on the edge of his bed. All the way there, Gabi refuses to let go of him, the grip on his shirt steel-like. 

Gently, he glides a hand through her hair. She flinches and withdraws from the embrace, as if woken from a trans. Her eyes are still watery and unfocused and she rubs a hand over them in a desperate attempt to stop the tears from spilling over. 

_As if he hasn't seen her like this on practically daily basis for the past 2 years._

Gabi may pretend to be strong in front of others ( _she is_ ), but this up close her cracks are on full display. She acts all mighty, full of energy and fighting spirit every morning at the meeting. But Falco knows her - the real Gabi. Sees the exhaustion hidden behind a bit too wide smile she gives Pieck. Notices the way her hand shakes when she raises it in a greeting to Jean, how she falls into her seat at the table, never breaking from the light chat with Mikasa. The way her brow furrows the tiniest bit when she's looking at Armin's tired form, and the worried glances she gives Reiner. 

She never lets it show though. Never to any of them. Because she's a warrior.

A Warrior should be tough. A Warrior should be strong. A Warrior should be able to do whatever it takes to protect their motherland. 

Even if it means throwing all personal feelings aside, less they be a nuisance.  
And no wonder the best one of them was also the best at taking that to heart. 

The first time Gabi came to him at night, he didn't know what to do.  
He was even more shocked when she just wordlessly hugged him, and didn't let go until her tears dried. All he could do is hug her back, dumbfounded. And the confusion didn't stop there. Next morning she acted like nothing happened. Laughed at Connie's jokes about Annie's weird breakfast choice, as if she didn't cry her eyes out into his shoulder the night prior. Half-slept through the meeting, helped with his titan training, went out to the market with Kaya. All with her usual laughs and jokes and jabs and pride. 

Until the night came and with it her - timidly knocking on his door, face pale from the horrors she saw in her poor attempt at a sleep. And once again he held her shaking form until exhaustion caught up with her.

And then she came again. And again. Never showing her moments of weakness to anyone but him. 

Falco carefully takes one of her hands away from her eyes and is relieved when she doesn't struggle against it.  
As emotionally repressed as she is, Gabi's not stupid. She knows better than anyone that he would rather die than cause her any harm. So she lets him take her hands away from her face. Even if it meant revealing all the cracks in her seemingly flawless structure. 

He knew how much she struggled with emotions. They both had to live through the ways of marlean regiem, where even a tiny step out of line could be seen as treason. Sometimes Falco wondered how in the hell he wasn't kicked out of the warrior program. Maybe he just got really good at pretending. Maybe Magath saw something in him - someone worth to oppose Gabi and her perfect representation of what a true warrior should be like. Fearless and brave and devoted. _To a fault._

Now there is no Marley. Now only 2 warriors remain.  
One is liar and a traitor that helped to bring about it's downfall. The other is an unbreakable crystallin shell hiding a broken mess inside.

He feels Gabi's hands start to shake again. Her eyes are shut tightly and she's swaying a bit, as if struggling to break away from the visions of her nightmares. So Falco laces their fingers together, bringing her out of it again, to never let go. 

She looks him in the eyes. Behind the tears, deep within the depths of browns and oranges and golds is something hiding. Like a plea for help, something lost long ago. Silently, she looks at him like that for a moment. 

And then she kisses him. 

This one is unlike the first one they shared, on the ship before he transformed into his winged form for the first time. That one was quick and desperate, as if they would never get a chance to share another one, so at least this would be enough. As far as they knew back then - it was. 

And unlike every other time, this didn't feel like a spur of the moment brought on by emotions that they will never mention again. This one was almost calculated. Desperate, yes, but also light, as if leaving the window open for escape, nervous and sweet. Falco's eyes widened from realization of the implications it gave, and willing to take his chances, he kissed back. 

And then it's over and they stare at each other dumbfounded, eyes wide, faces flushed. The question swirling in his brain and the dried tears on her cheeks.  
She looks right into his soul, the glowing embers of her eyes saying more than her words could. She glances down at his lips and then goes back into the staring contest. He slowly leans in, testing the waters and is shocked to see her do the same moments later. 

Just a breath away, their noses almost touching. Her eyes are half-lidded, but focused, and he still can't believe what's happening. And then her lips find his again, light and nervous and _scared_ , but oh so sweet. And he does his best to convey all the love he felt towards her in this one soft touch. He feels like he's flying above the clouds again. Just like after the first time they have kissed, almost like a fleeting dream. But this time it actually feels real. Maybe it's because the planet isn't about to be flattened, or maybe because for once they have all the time in the world.

One of her hands is right above his heart, holding onto his shirt for support and his are tangled in her hair. Years of untold feelings translated into this moment. The only thing that separates them is the lack of air in their lungs.  
They are panting now, like after the training races they used to do every day. But this time, when Falco looks at her, Gabi looks back not with a condescending smirk, but with a shy smile, her eyes sparkling with something other than tears for once. And he can't stop himself from wrapping her in a hug. 

At some point she fell asleep, face buried in his chest, hands still holding onto his shirt, but no longer desperate. They didn't talk about what happened, but unlike the other times before it, he knows that this one meant everything. Gabi may still find it hard to find the words, more so say them outloud, but her eyes tell him everything.  
Carefully, as to not wake her up, he pulls the covers over both of them and presses a gentle kiss to the crown of her head.

As long as her brown eyes are filled with happiness and not tears

For now, that's enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go~
> 
> Okay so, this was kind of my first work. I have only translated fics before, never wrote them. Is it noticeable?  
> Please notify me of any mistakes or unclear sentences, my dumb dyslexic russian brain sometimes likes to play tricks on me. 
> 
> Here's to more food for us Gabi/Falco shippers! *raises a cup of tea*
> 
> ~Sunny 
> 
> Also yes, i made a bird pun out of my son's chapter title. I'm not sorry.


	2. The light seeping through the cracks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now time for Gabi's POV. 
> 
> Honestly, I find her easier to write than Falco. Maybe because of my headcanons about her personality... meh, who cares. As long as she's not OOC... Is she?...
> 
> *calculus woman meme*

Here she was again. 

Dust and smoke all around her, screams and cries filling the air. The smoke and ash make it impossible to breath. She can almost taste the stench of blood on her tongue. And she keeps running until she can't. She needs to get out of here before-

Through the blur of her tears she sees 2 silhouettes. _No... Anything but that memory..._. But who can control their nightmares?   
She hears the Beast roar. Feels her body surge forward in a desperate attempt to- 

**She sees his eyes.**

And then the blinding light.

Gabi woke up.   
On autopilot she got up, went out of her room and quietly padded down the hall. Past the window 2 doors down. 2 knocks. 

It should have scared her - how _normal_ all of this was. But if she tried to think of anything but the awaited normal now, she'll go back to **those thoughts**. 

The door opened. She threw herself into Falco's waiting arms, wrapping him in the tightest hug she could master. 

_Alive, alive, alive, alive, alive-_

That one word repeating like a mantra in her head was so ironic and cruel. 

She saw the way him and Armin nervously glanced at each other every morning when they thought nobody would notice. The way the tension in his posture depleted as soon as Reiner, Annie and Pieck all came through the door. She wasn't going to lie - she was relieved too, more so about Reiner. No offence to the 2 women, but he is her only living family left after--

So many lives lost for a pointless battle that neither side was a victor of.   
And her parents were just 2 of those. Shot moments away from safety in a stupid needless conflict. The last conflict between marleans and eldians, that left her and Falco both orphans. 

_And how many children just like them had she created with her own hands?_  
The thought alone makes her sick. She remembered how proud she was of her "accomplishments", how naive and close-minded she was just a bit over 2 years ago. A bitter thought crossed her mind: _What would've happened if the declaration of war didn't end like it did?_

 _If only it didn't end the way it did._  
She could still see the blood everywhere, the air full of screams and cries and-- 

Falco's hands are so warm. 

He holds her gently and carefully, as if she's made of glass. If it were anyone else, she would have gotten angry at such treatment. She was strong. She could defend herself and did just that time and time again. She was ready for everything their cruel world was going to throw her way.

An orphan with only a cousin on his last year of life would disagree.

She could never express emotions well. She was taught how to be tough, how to fight back against the situation they were trapped in, how to make herself look invincible ever since she was old enough to hold a rifle - bigger than she was tall. And that meant hiding her weaknesses. _Never show them something that can be exploited,_ she remembered aunt Karina told her back then. And so, her true, real emotions were the first to go. 

Years of her life spent holding back the tears, refusing to let anything past competitive playfulness slip, learning how to manipulate people into getting what she needs.   
Never expressing the truth behind it all. Pointless years. 

Though, back then she possibly couldn't realize yet how much she would want to grab all that time and give it to someone she truly--

_cares for._

As if sensing her turmoil, Falco holds her closer. At some point, while she was lost in thoughts, they had moved to sit on the edge of his bed.   
His hand glides over her hair, again and again. The gesture so small, yet so comforting, it sends her to tears. Emotions she never dared feeling, let alone expressing fill her to the brim, falling out of her eyes.

_One tear falls for everyone who was lost._

_The second one falls for her own sad excuse of a life._

_The third one_ gets swiped away by a gentle touch, fingers lightly caressing her cheek. 

She opens her eyes only to find sad green ones staring back at her.

"Shhh... Everything's okay."

_A lie. Be it the world or just her._

"I'll never leave you alone."

_Another lie. They both know it's not guaranteed yet._

"I love you."

_The truth._

The air gets caught up in her throat and fresh tears threaten to spill. But she does what she does best - fights it as best as she can.

"I-I... I lo-ve-"

She may be a skilled fighter. She may be the best sniper this side of Paradis. She may have taught herself how to sweet-talk a commanding officer into letting her go through with a crazy plan in the middle of a war. 

But she never learned how to say a simple "I love you too". 

So she gives up while she can. Before her voice breaks again. The brave and fearless Gabi Braun turns tail at a sound of a failed love confession. Hides her face in Falco's chest, embarrassed blush heating her cheeks more than Middle-Eastern sun ever did, her hands shaking from anger at herself for not being able to say those words back to him. 

But Falco understands her anyway. He always does. She hears him chuckle and fights the urge to punch him for it.  
His fingers curl under her chin now, as gentle as ever. She leans into the touch, letting her face be led higher. 

They stare into each-others eyes for a moment. The mix of colors reflects emotions behind them better than any words could ever express.   
And then they lean in. 

His kiss is just like his touch - sweet and soft and gentle, almost too much for her poor cracked and torn heart, making her lightheaded in the best way, his hand on her waist grounding her enough not to fall over. She can feel him smiling and she can't help but smile too. Just a few seconds, but if feels like ages. She rests her forehead against his, their noses touching and they're both smiling like dumb lovesick teens they are. For once not thinking about war and loss and how little time they may have together. As soon as the thought like that crawls back into one of their minds, the other is there to banish it with the soft touch of lips. 

The outside world is cruel and beautiful. 

The world where she is a deadly assassin, trained to go for the kill since she was old enough to hold a rifle - bigger than she was tall, used as a hidden weapon in a form of a cute girl on the ambassador missions in case any of their now allied nations decided to go back on their end of the bargain.

The world where he is a gigantic monster with a jaw that can crush diamond, with wings, that can send grown men flying with just a tiny flap, ending in claws sharper than any blade mankind has forged, deadlier than he ever was or wanted to be, used as a highly mobile weapon and transportation. A living symbol of sacrifices that were made to get to this point.

But not in here. In here he feels her starting to sink into the cruel reality and makes sure to bring her back to their own little moment in time. She doesn't want it to end just yet, so she keeps her eyes closed even after they separate for air.  
She holds this moment and puts it near her cracked and torn heart where it will be safe from the outside.

Because in here they are just Gabi and Falco.

Finally, her eyes flutter open, the moment stored for a later date when she'll need it, ready to face whatever next struggle will come her way.

As long as his green eyes are full of love every time he looks at her

For now, that's enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! 
> 
> It was so relaxing to write this down~ Can't wait to finally sleep without being bombarded by my own imagination. Speaking of-
> 
> Fun(?) fact: Gabi having nightmares about Falco's transformation is actually based on me. 
> 
> Imagine not getting enough sleep because of college, which leads to having your stupid overactive brain creating monsters in the shadows and - when the luck is just perfect - sleep paralysis demons.   
> The leaks for ch119 came out in the middle of a night for me. Now imagine my surprise and absolute terror when i opened the scan of Falco's pure titan form only to find my freaking SPD.   
> Let's just say, I didn't sleep that night.   
> And when i did it was there, noming on Porco, waiting for me. FOR WEEKS.   
> I still try to look away and skip those pages when i go back to re-read the chapter. *shudders* I have no idea how i will live through the anime adaptation of it.
> 
> Oof, anyway. 
> 
> I hope you liked this work! Maybe I'll write some more in the future (oh who am i kidding, i will. Next time I'll go starving for G/F content my mind will do it's magic)
> 
> ~Sunny


End file.
